Useless Planks United
:Colchester FC are an English Trophy Manager club who are currently playing in League 5.8, but, they have ambitions of going to much greater heights. History :Colchester FC was formed in the February of 2008. They were formed 2 League games from the end of the Season 10, and were immediately promoted to Division 8. :The start of Colchester FC's Division 8 life did not go well, they were struggling mid table, with no hope of gaining that dream of successive promotions, and going to Division 7, but all of this changed when manager at the time, JC, signed club icons PETRU TUDOSE and LUBOMÍR POPOVIC. These two were signed for around $15million and Colchester FC soon shot up the table to 3rd place, and promotion to Division 7. :Division 7 started brightly for Colchester FC, as they shot up the table, playing very attractive and attacking football, with a strong defence to boot, and were always in contention for promotion, being a mainstay in the top two. Colchester FC went top of the table quite early on in the season, and it remained that way for a considerable amount of the season. But a horrible run, leaving them without a win in a key part of the season. This run included a humiliating 4-1 home defeat to a team that later folded due to lack of interest. Despite, all of this bad luck, Colchester remained top, until the very last round of matches, where they could only manage a draw against the same team that had humiliated them. This left Colchester second in the group, losing out to AFC Peterborough on goal difference. It was heartbreak for the fans and players alike. :Division 6 was a highly disappointing season for the U's, who in turn fought hard for their comfortable midtable position. It was a season with as many highes as lows. :Surprisingly, that season, Colchester FC were promoted to Division 5. Naturally, they tried their hardest, but in the end managed, again, a comfortable midtable position. :The very next season, naturally, Colchester FC were expected to make a strong bid for promotion, but in the end, rather surprisingly, struggled to avoid finishing in a relegation position, mainly down to some swift managerial changes, and changes to the team, which in the end helped Colchester to, what could be considered, an undeserved 6th place. :The very next season, again, Colchester FC were expect to make a strong push for promotion, as they had made some excellent signings during the brief break between end of season 15 and the beginning of season 16, including Marco Johnston, the journeyman striker. Johnston was soon found to be a masterstroke signing, showing off his goalscoring ability continuously. For a short while at the beginning of the season, Colchester FC were chasing AFC Wilberforce for first place, but after a reasonably dull encounter, Colchester FC scrapped a 1-0 against the early pace setters. Colchester FC, for the most part afterwards, lead the way, although there was a brief nervy point when Liverpool Athletics took over at the top of the table. Colchester also had the strongest cup run in their history, making it to round six, before being knocked out by The Go Team! Despite having more shots at goal. The season was summed up by the impressive 4-0 away win against Liverpool Athletics, and a surprising 2-2 draw against a full strength FC Mossley side, the two time Premier League champions. The Club :The club's finances are stable at this current time, with match attendences being mostly sell outs, and with record sales on the club's merchandise. The board is always willing to back the manager in the transfer market, although the manager tends to hunt out for bargains in the form of experienced players and high potential youngsters. :There is a strong emphasis on youth development and training, as several high quality coaches have been hired over the seasons to oversee the team's progress, and the youth set up has found several good youngsters, with several playing first team football, such as centre back Steve Wallace, who can also play right back, and left and right winger Lee Stevens. Highly rated central defender Alec Robertson is soon to make his first senior league appearance, and hard working central midfielder Stephen Rutherford has played for the first team. :The club also puts a strong emphasis on communicating with it's fellow clubs, making frequent press announcements to discuss recent developments and publicizing the thoughts of the managers and the players. They also encourage healthy discussion on the forums, although the discussion is not always healthy. The Stadium :The current stadium of Colchester FC is The Gladiator Pit, named after the fact that the fans require that all players have the heart and courage of a lion, and that they fight like a gladiator - to the death. :The stadium's capacity is currently 14,000, although, due to the team's current league form, upgrades will need to be made sooner, rather than later. :The state of the pitch is considered incredibly important by the groundsmen, the board, the players, the manager and the coaching team. That is why money is spent on pitch covers, sprinklers and a pitch drainage system. :There are many sausage stands, fast food diners and merchandise stands right next to the stadium, with a luxury, but small VIP box and posh restaurant within the stadium. Many critics have tested both the food that the ordinary fan would eat, as well as the posh food within the restaurant, and food the food to be of "Excellent quality, with a good sense of value for money". :There is also a physio room, to make sure any unfortunate injuries are cared for with the best possible quality. Their is also considerable quality with the toilets and parking, making sure all fans at the matches are catered for, which provides an excellent match day atmosphere, which contributes to the quality of the football seen at The Gladiator Pit. Current Squad Goalkeepers Marko Mejac Craig Morris Mike Turner David Pardow Defenders Dixie Hoyte Craig Jones Steve Wallace David Bentley Zbigniew Pawlak Ianis Florea Juan Daniel Maciel Gary Davis Alec Robertson Prvoslav Golic Midfielders Kimberley Paget Darren Huddlestone Silvano Pirlo Domicjan Stelmaszuk Joseph Duffy Daniel Irvine David Gordon Stephen Rutherford Wingers Tim Mills Jerzy Rusinek Mick Stanton Shane Radford Lee Stevens Albert Marshall Strikers Ainias Tzavelas Marco Johnston Robert Shilton Evgeniy Kutuzov Key Blue = First Team Red = Back Up / Substitute Green = Other Youngsters Category:English Football Clubs Category:Football Clubs